Priestley Duties

It's no accident that Brandon Walsh tooled around the 90210 zipcode for the better part of eight years in a sweet 1965 Mustangconvertible. The man who played the perpetual TV youth, actorJason Priestley, is a gearhead. These days the erstwhile BeverlyHills 90210 star has another gig that allows him to indulge hisfancies for fast cars and working in front of the camera: He'sdoing commentary for ABC's Indy Racing League coverage.

Before drawing rash parallels between Priestley and anothercelebrity ABC broadcaster, consider that unlike Dennis Miller--whocan't provide any insights into what it feels like to get slammedto the turf by Warren Sapp--Priestley has substantial experiencein his sport. He got hooked on televised automobile rallies as akid in Vancouver and began driving professionally in them in1992. In '95 he finished third in the SCCA Pro Rally Circuitseason standings before moving on to the IMSA sports car series.

Two years ago he was interviewed by Ann Hoffman, a journalist whois married to Bob Goodrich, the producer of ABC's IRL coverage.After last season, when the network decided to add a third man tothe booth, Hoffman suggested that Goodrich talk to the31-year-old Priestley. "I certainly didn't expect it," saysPriestley of his new job. After one lunch, however, he was soldon the broadcasting idea. "I said to him, 'Yeah, dude, I can dothat.'"

With Bob Jenkins calling the action and former United States AutoClub champ Larry Rice handling the technical side, Priestley iscounted on to lend color and a man-on-the-street perspective. "Itry to demystify things, to bring things down to everyone'slevel," he says. Priestley's first race behind the mike was onMarch 18 in Phoenix, and he handled his job well enough to quashany notion that his hiring was a ploy to draw viewers.

Still, that's not to say that having a famous color man doesn'thave its perks. One thing Goodrich wants Priestley to do isrelate interesting stories about the competitors, and Priestley,whose Q rating dwarfs that of any IRL driver, is quite popularwith them. Spectators also seem to like him. "When he walksaround the pits and garage, everyone wants to meet him," saysGoodrich. "I just need those people to go home and turn on theirtelevisions."